![]() ![]() There is a deep sense of foreboding that I think often turns into shame with time, because it feels like you're risking punishment. But certainly, that is a lifelong condition that's going to require treatment and support. I was born in 1985 and I would say until, frankly, the last two or three years - with the introduction of PrEP/Truvada - for most gay men, a defining aspect of our sexual experiences has been an awareness of not just STIs (STDs that we all need to be aware of and thoughtful about), but, "Am I going to get HIV/AIDS?" Which is no longer a death sentence, as I understood it at the time. On equating sex with death because of AIDS I think it's possible to have sex with someone and not be intimate with them, and that's kind of what it looks like sometimes. I think that's something that, whether people are in the closet or not, they continue to struggle with, being vulnerable and true intimacy. ![]() He was working through some things, and so he was ashamed of what he was feeling or not feeling. ![]() But I think really he admitted he couldn't go there. He was like, "Oh, absolutely not." And so I felt embarrassed and I think the only thing more painful than not getting what you want is almost getting it and then being shamed right at the last minute. ![]() On his first sexual encounter with a man, hooking up in a library bathroom and trying to kiss and being refused Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title How We Fight for Our Lives Subtitle A Memoir Author Saeed Jones ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |